Mail box



May 9, 1951 I G. L. vANDRuFF 2,983,437

MAIL Box Filed May 29, 1959 t 2 Sheets-Shee1'l 1 i Armewa Vs May 9, 1961G. L. vANDRuFF MAIL BOX 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 29, 1959 x j w 6 mzmJNVENTOR.

MAIL BOX George L. Vandruft, 1006 S. Pennsylvania, Cherokee, Okla.

Filed May 29, 1959, Ser. No. 816,876

7 Claims. (Ci. zas- 17) This invention relates to an improved mail boxof the type having a stationary section and a movable section which ismovable relative to the stationary section to expose and provide easyaccess to mail present in the box.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a simple, moreeficient and more practical mail box of the character indicated which iseasier to operate and which can be made in attractive and durable formsat low cost, from a variety of available materials, including Wood,metals and plastics. i

Another object of the inventionis to provide a weatherproof mail box ofthe character indicated above wherein Patented May 9, 1961 "ice .stationary section 10, which is normally closed by a lid the movablesection is spring-returned to mail-enclosing position relative to thestationary section from operated position.

A further object of the invention is to provide 'a mail box of thecharacter indicated above which, other than the return spring means anda hinged cover or lid, is composed of only two parts, namely thestationary section and the movable section, which can be monolithicforms.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention willbe apparent from the following description and the accompanyingdrawings, wherein, for purposes of illustration on-ly, a specific formof the invention is set fonth in detail.

. In the drawings: Figure l is a front perspective view of a mail box ofthe invention, in unoperated condition;

Figure 2 is a similar view, showing the lid open and the movable sectiondepressed to expose mail when Vpresent in the stationary section;

Figure 3 is an enlarged horizontal section taken on the line 3-3 ofFigure 1;

Figure 4 is an enlarged Vertical transverse section taken on the line4-4 of Figure l; and

Figure 5 is a Vertical longitudinal sectiontaken on the line 5-5 ofFigure 4.

Refem'ng in detail to the drawings, wherein like numerals designate likeparts throughout the several Views, the illustrated mail box comprises astationary lsection 10, a movable section 12, and retracting springmeans 14.

The stationary section 10 is Vertically elongated and of substantiallyU-shaped horizontal cross section, as seen in Figure 3, and comprises aback wall 16 and two forwardly and right-angularly extending side walls18 which are inset from the side edges 20 of the back wall. The sidewalls 18 have straight forward edges 22 which areparallel to the backwall 16. On the laterally outward sides of the side walls 18 areVertical, 'rectangular cross section ribs 24, which are parallel to the'back wall 16 and are spaced forwardlytherefrom at distances about halfof the width of a side wall. Vertical grooves 26, aligned with the ribs24, are formed in the laterally inward sides of the side walls 18, inthe lower halves thereof and open through the lower edges 28 of the sidewalls and through related parts of a bottom wall 30 which extendsbetween and is fixed to the side walls 18 and the back wall 16. Thebottom wall 30 has a free forward or cover 38 which is hinged, asindicated at 40, at the forward edge of a strip 42 fixed in suitablemanner upon the upper edge 36 of the back wall. As seen in Figures 2 and5, the strip 42 and the lid 38 are wider than the stationary section 10so as to close not only the upper end of 'the stationary section .10,but also the upper end of the movable section 12, in the elevatedposition of the movable section 12.

It is to be noted that in the depressed position of the movable section12, the lid 38 can remain in closing relation to the upper end of thestationary section, in which case the lid 38 serves as arain and snowshield for the depressed upper end of the movable section 12.

The movable section 12 is Vertically elongated and of U-shapedhorizontal cross section, as scen in Figure 3, and comprises a frontwall 44, which' is preferably made relatively thin so as to reduce theweight and the overall ,cross section of 'themail box, and which is ofthe same width as the stationary section back wall 16, and bearsslidably against the forward edges 22 of the stationary section sidewalls 18. The front wall 44 is of a height to put its bevelled upperedge 46 fiush with the forward lower ends of 'the declining upper edges34 of the stationa-ry section side walls 1'8, when the movable section1.2 is in its upwardly retracted, normal position, as shown in Figure 4in full lines, wherein the lid 38 can rest upon and seal the upperl edge46 of the front Wall, as well as the upper edges of the side walls.

The movable section has side walls '48 extending rearwardly |from sideedge portions of the front wall 44 and bearing slidably against thelaterally outwa-rd si-des of the stationary section side walls 18, andare provided With Vertical grooves 50 to conformably and slidablyreceive the` ribs 24 on the stationary section side walls 18, so as toassemble the movable section 12 to the stationary section 10 and confinethe same to Vertical sliding movernent thereon. The side walls 48 haveforwardly declining upper edges 52 which are positioned and angled to beflush with the upper edges of the stationary section side walls 18, inthe retracted position of the movable section, and to be engaged andsealed by the lid 38.

Further sliding support of the movable section 12 on the stationarysection =10` is provided by reduced width laterally inwardly offset,Vertical ribs 54 on the rear edges of the movable section side walls 48,slidably engaged in conformably shaped Vertical grooves 56 formed in thestationary section back wall 16, outside of its side walls 18, and bythe sliding engagernent of resultant outwardly offset, forwardlyextending Vertical ribs 58 on the back wall 16 in the resultantoutwardly off-set Vertical grooves 60 in the movable section side walls48.

A viewing opening 62 is provided centrally in the movable section frontwall '44, to expose the presence of mail in the mail box, and isweather-sealed by a glass 64 engaged with the front side of the frontwall 44 and confined in a recess 66 provided therefor in the rear sideof a retaining plate 68 which is fixed, in suitable manner to the frontside of the front wall 44, and has an opening 70 registered with theViewingopening 62 and the glass 64. The retaining plate 68 is preferablyof orna- ,mental shapeand execution, so as to form a decoration for themail box.

For Operating the movable section 12, a pendant bail handle 72 isaflixed, as indicated at 74, to the under side of its bottom wall 73 ofthe movable section, at a point 3 toward the forward edge thereof, sothat the handle 72 can be readily grasped and pulled downwardly, so asto slide the movable section 12 downwardly relative to the stationarysection, against the resistance of retracting spring means 14, to adepressed mail-exposing position.

The retracting or elevating spring means 14 preferably takes the form ofVertical helical contractile sprin'gs 76 which are located in thestationary section side wall gro'oves, and are anchored at their upper"ends, as indicated 'at 78, at the upper ends of these groove's, and arese'cured at their lower ends, as in'dicated at Si), to the bottom wall73 lof'the movable section 12. The movable section 12, is stopp'ed inits normal elevated position, a's it is elevated by the spring means,byengagement of the movable section bottom wall 73 with the bottom wall30 of the stationary section 10.

Obviously, pulling the movable section 12 downwardly relative to thestationary section 10, vand holding -the position, exposes the openfront of the stationary section, as shown in Figure 2, so that any mail|present in the mail box is exposed, above the movable section, and canbe readily grasped and removed 'from the mail box, without theusual-difiiculties of having to reach into the mail box, whereat thehandle 72 is released and the Springs 76 elevate the movable section toits normal position. It will be understood that mail is depositedl inthe mail box by the mail man through the open top of the stationarysection 10, the lid 38 being holdv open, and that no other operation ofthe mail box is required of th'e mail man.

For extra capacity and convenience, especially for large pieces of mail,such as newspapers and magazines, the movable section 12 is providedwith a pai-r of laterally spaced forwardly and upwardl'y opening hooks82, which comprise Vertical bars 84 secured at their upper ends, asindicated at 86, to the movable section bottom wall 73 near the rearedge thereof, and forwardly reaching crooks 88 on the lower ends of thebars 84. The 'hooks 82 are located entirely beneath the movable section,so that articles placed in the lhooks are shielded from rain and snow bythe mail box.

The stationary section back wall 16 is provided with Vertically spacedscrew holes 92, through which screws 94 can be readily passed andscrewed into a suitable Vertical mail box support, such as a house walll96.

`It will beobserved that the simple uncomplicated structnres of thestationary and movable sections lend themselves to easy and economicalmass manufacture as monolithic forms, such as plastic moldings.

While there has been shown and described herein a preferred form of theinvention, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarilyconfined thereto, and that any change or Achanges in the structure ofand in the relative arrangements of components thereof are contemplatedas being within the scope of the invention as defined by the claimsappended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A mail box comprising a Vertical stationary section having a backwall, sidewalls, a bottom wall, an open upper end and an open front, aVertical movable section having sidewalls, a bottom wall, a front wall,an open upper end and an open rear, said movable section being slidablytelescoped on the stationary section with its front wall in closurerelation to the open front o'f the stationary section and with itsbottom wall beneath the bottom wall of the stationary section, a handleon the movable section, retracting spring means acting between andsecured to the Sections for elevating the movable section to its normalelevated position on the stationary section wherein its bottom wall isin stop engagement with the lower end of the stationary section, saidstationary section back wall having side edge portionsextendinglaterally outwardly beyond the side walls of the stationary section,sidewalls of the movable ,section bearing slidably against the laterallyoutward sides of the stationary 4 section side walls and against saidside'edge portions, the side walls of the Sections having interengagedVertical rib and groove means assembling the movable section to thestationary section.

2. A mail box comprising a Vertical stationary section having a backwall, sidewalls, a bottom wall, an open upper end and an open front, aVertical movable section having sidewalls, a bottom wall, a front wall,an open upper end and an open rear, said movable section being slidablytelescoped on the stationary section with its front wall in closurerelation to the open front of the stationary section and with its bottomwall beneath the bottom wall of the stationary section, a handle on themovable section, retracting spring means acting between and secured tothe Sections for elevating .the movable section to its normal elevatedposition on the stationary section wherein its bottom wall is in stopengagement with the lower end of the lstationa'ry section, saidstationar'y-sec'tion back w'all having side' edge p'ortions extendinglaterally outwardly beyond the side walls of the stationary section,sidewallsof the movable section bearing slidably against the laterallyoutward sides of the stationary section side walls and against said sideedge portions, the side walls of the Sections having interengagedVertical rib and groove means assembling the movable section to thestationary section, said side edge portions of the stationary sectionback wall having Vforwardly opening Vertical grooves therein and themovable section side walls havinglrearwardly extening Vertical ribs'slidably confined lin the g'r'ooves.

3. VA mail box compirising a Vertical stationary section having a. backwall, sidewalls, a bottom wall, an open upper end and an open front, aVertical movable section having sidewalls, a bottom wall, a front wall,an open upper end and an open rear, said movable section being slidablytelescoped on the stationary section with its front wall in closurerelation to the open lfront of the stationary-section and with itsbottom wall 'beneath the bottom wall `of the stationary section, ahandle on the movable section, retracting spring means acting betweenand secu'red to the sections for elevating the movable section to itsnormal elevated position on the stationary section wherein its bottomwall is in stop engager'nent with the lower end of the stationarysection, said stationary section back wall having side edge portionsextending laterally outwardly beyond the side walls of the stationarysection, sidewalls of the movable section bearing slidably against thelaterally outward sides of the stationary section side walls and`against said side edge portions, the side walls of the sections havinginterengaged Vertical rib and groove means assembling the movablesection to the stationary section, said retracting spring meanscomprising Vertical grooves in the laterally inwar'd sides of thestationary section side walls and openings in the stationary sectionbottom 'thereat, and Vertical contractile Springs positioned in thegrooves and stretched between upper parts of these grooVes and thebottom wall of the movable section.

4. mail box comprising a stationary section and a movable section, saidstationary section consisting of a Vertical back wall securable to asupport, forwardly extending Vertical sidewalls, and a bottom wallextending between the sidewalls and the back wall, said sidewalls havingforward edgres, 'said movable section consisting of a Vertical frontwall, 'rearwardly extending Vertical sidewalls, and a bottom wallextending between its sidewalls and itslfront wall, the movable sectionsidewalls having reai' Vedges, said movable section being telescopedwith Vsaid stationary section, with the bottom wall of the movable`section dis'posed below the bottom wall of the stationary section, thesides of the sidewalls of the Sections being in lsliding engager'nent,interengaged rib and groove :means'on the facing sides of the sidewallsslidably mounti'ng the movable section on the stationary section, andelevating spring meansconnected between the stationary section and the'movable section, the sidewalls of the stationary section sidewalls andat their lower ends to w the bottom wall of the movable section. p

' 5. A mail box comprising a stationary section and a movable section,said stationary section consisting of a Vertical back wall securable toa support, forwardly extending Vertical sidewalls, and a bottom wallextend-4 ing between the sidewalls and theback wall, said sidewallshaving forward edges, said movable section consisting of a Verticalfront wall, rearwardly` extending Vertical sidewalls, and a bottom wallextending between its sidewalls and its front Wall, the movable sectionsidewalls having rear edges, said movable section being teleseoped withsaid stationary section, with the bottom Vwall of the movable sectiondisposed below the bottom wall of the stationary section, the sides ofthe sidewalls of the sections being in sliding engagement, interengagedrib and groove means on the facing sides of the sidewalls slidablymounting the movable .section on thet'stationary section, and elevatingspring means connected between the stationary section and the movablesection, the sidewalls of the movable section being positionedVlaterally outwardly of thel sidewalls of the stationarysection, theback wall of the stationary section having side edge portions extendinglaterally outwardly beyond the sidewalls of the stationary section, saidedge portions having forwardly opening Vertical Vguide grooves, and thesidewalls of the movable section having their rear edges slidablyyengaged in the guide grooves.

6. A mail box comprising a stationary section and a movable section,said stationary section consisting ofa Vertical back wall securable to asupport, forwardly ex-l tending'vertical sidewalls, and a bottom wallextending between the sidewalls and the back wall, said sidewallsYhaving forward edges, said movable section consisting of a Verticalfront wall, rearwardly extending Vertical sidewalls, and a bottom wallextending between its sidewalls and its front wall, the movable sectionsidewalls having rear edges, said movable section being telescoped gwith said stationary section, with the bottom wall of' the movablesection disposed below the bottom wall of the stationary section, thesides of the sidewalls of the w Sections being in sliding engagement,and elevated spring means connected between the stationary section andthe movable section, the sidewalls of the movable Vsection beingpositioned laterally outwardly of the sidewalls of p the stationarysection, the sidewalls of the stationary section having' laterallyinward. sidesv formed with Vertical grooves, and said spring meanscomprising Vertical c'oil Springs disposed in said grooves and connectedin stretched condition, at their upper ends ;to the stationary sectionsidewalls and at their lower ends to the bottom wall of the movablesection. v p

7. A mailV box comprising a stationary' section and a movable section,said stationary section consisting of a Vertical back wall securable toa support, forwardly extending Vertical sidewalls, and a bottom wallextendingbetween the sidewalls and the back wall, said sidewallshaving'forward edges, said movable section consisting of a Verticalfront wall, rearwardly extending verp i tical sidewalls, and a bottomWall extendng between its sidewalls and'its front wall, the movablesection sidewalls having rear edges, said movable section beingtelescoped with saidstationary section, lwith'the bottom wall of the,

movable section disposed belowthe bottom wall of the stationary section,the sides of the sidewallsof the. Sections being in slidingengagernenLLand elevating spring means connected between the stationarysection and the movable section, the-sidewalls of thermovable sectionbeing positioned laterally outwardly-of'the sidewalls of the istationary section, the back wall of the stationary section having side'edge portions extending laterally `outwardly beyond the sidewalls ofthe stationary section, 'said edge portions having forwardly openingVertical guide grooves,

and the sidewalls of the movablev section having rear edges `slidablyengagediin the guide grooves. I References Cited in the file of thispatent 7d UNITED STATES PATENTS Cummings Dec. 4, 1888 682,004 TuckerSept. 3, 1901 V 1, O26,0178` Davis May 14, 1912 1,762,477` Hughes June10, 1930 1,776,243 Adrassy Sept. 23, 1930 2,370,682 Overmyer Mar. 6,1945 2,423','532 Travis July 8,

